1991 Mazda Protege SE review from North America
"Cheap basic transportation, get the LX if you can"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I bought this car in Sept. 2006 with 214k kms on it. A lot on k's, but it was cheap. So far in 16000kms I've replaced 1 ball joint, 1 drive axle, rear wheel cylinders, valve cover gasket, O2 sensor and catalytic converter (I believe the bad O2 sensor was the cause of the bad cat).
It runs great now. After the O2 change my L/100k's went back up, I'm getting 7-8 L/100kms with 50/50 driving. That's about 600kms for 47 liters of gas. Pretty good for a 16 year old car with 230 on it.
Fit and finish is excellent.
General comments?
My biggest complaints are the seats and lack of power. Seats can be swapped for the much more comfortable LX's.
I'm now a believer of Mazda's ZOOM ZOOM! This car handles quite well, especially considering it's age.
Recommended reviews
| The car has been a reliable, efficient, and economical means of transportation since I've owned it |
|
| Smart buy, great value, quality car for economy price |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1991 |
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8 SOHC Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 1 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 214000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 230000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Taunus |
| Date of Entry | 25th May, 2007 |